Religion

Follow this link to see an article and video about Sarah Palin’s churches and The Third Wave.

Normally, I don’t put much stock in this stuff. However, I provide this as a service to any of my readers who were concerned about Obama’s pastor, Rev Wright. If you thought you might vote for McCain/Palin because of fear of Rev. Wright, perhaps you ought to view the above video.

I have lost all faith in the veracity of The New York Times. Therefore I would not normally comment on much of anything that they say. I have not read the original op-ed, just the rebuttal.

However, I know someone is going to claim that they learned something from the Op-Ed piece. My reason for this post is to keep a record of the link to the rebuttal just in case I need it.

Follow this link to what The New York Times Public Editor wrote about Edward N. Luttwak’s Op-Ed. The following paragraph introduces the piece by the Public Editor:

On May 12, The Times published an Op-Ed article by Edward N. Luttwak, a military historian, who argued that any hopes that a President Barack Obama might improve relations with the Muslim world were unrealistic because Muslims would be “horrified” once they learned that Obama had abandoned the Islam of his father and embraced Christianity as a young adult.

The following paragraphs are the conclusion of what the Public Editor wrote:

Shipley, the Op-Ed editor, said he regretted not urging Luttwak to soften his language about possible assassination, given how sensitive the subject is. But he said he did not think the Op-Ed page was under any obligation to present an alternative view, beyond some letters to the editor.

I do not agree. With a subject this charged, readers would have been far better served with more than a single, extreme point of view. When writers purport to educate readers about complex matters, and they are arguably wrong, I think The Times cannot label it opinion and let it go at that.

If the main stream media duped you over what Jeremiah Wright said in his sermons, did you actually expect them to cover his rebuttal fairly? That would be awfully naive, wouldn’t it?

I have links to the first 5 parts of his appearance at the National Press Club. I have as yet been unable to get the rest of it. To see for yourself what the msm has falsified, view the video of his appearance by following the links below.

He compares some aspects of this trend to what he has seen when he has been with mullahs and imams of the Islamic world.

I think I begin to understand the common factor. The United States is seeing unprecedented economic competition from the rest of the world. People in this country are seeing signs of the possible end to U.S. economic domination. We may have a strong military, but we may not have the economic resources to keep it in the field against all the adversaries we are facing.

On the Islamic side of the world, there has been a general failure of most citizens in Islamic countries to realize any economic gains from the rising price of oil. The Palestinians’ living conditions have not improved due to any concessions that the Arab world has made in negotiations with Israel. What few Islamic countries have seen any progress toward democracy have not seen any benefit for the lives of the average resident.

The common factor between these two sides is fear. Add in global warming and you just get more fear. I think there is a tendency to turn toward unquestioning religious faith in times of fear and stress. No rational action has seemed to make things better. Perhaps some savior will step in to rescue us.

Another common factor is the presence of people seeking power who take advantage of the fear that the population is feeling.

I realized the other day that I am actually a believer, too. I have faith that basing personal and political actions on rational and intelligent analysis of the situation is the best hope of humanity. We can figure out what has gone wrong with previous policies, and we can choose better policies. I also have faith that technological innovation, with some of which I have been involved since 1961, can make our lives better if used carefully.

Another tenet of my faith is that making life altering decisions based on beliefs that seem to contradict rational evidence is not a wise thing to do. As an engineer, I was always having to make decisions based on incomplete knowledge. However, an engineer does have the responsibility to gather as much information as is feasible before making those decisions.

If there is a God, would she have given us a brain if she didn’t want us to use it?